According to Portland radio station, K103, the holiday season is well underway. Since early November, they have been the go-to Christmas radio station pumping holiday spirit into the air.
There are plenty of components that make Christmas special and fill people with holiday cheer—for some that could be Christmas music, or maybe seasonal drinks at your local café.
You may be wondering: What is the most essential piece of Christmas spirit?
The answer is easy: a natural, gorgeously decorated tree.
And if this is the answer, that also means that fake trees simply make for a lackluster and lifeless Christmas.
It is silly to think that pulling a “tree” out of the closet or buying one from your local Home Depot encapsulates the true magic of Christmas. The only “magic” a fake tree can capture is dust bunnies from its year of living in the attic.
However, sophomore AJ Bayne and his family disagree.
Seven years ago, after bringing home their tree and dressing it with all kinds of ornaments, tragedy struck in the Bayne home. Due to the dry state of their Christmas tree, it lost its strength and toppled over.
“My mom lost a lot of expensive and sentimental ornaments that she used to collect with my grandma. It was a tradition for them and a good memory of my grandma. It was heartbreaking for her,” Bayne said.
After this incident they have relied on a fake tree in order to prevent another ornament massacre.
Maybe you share a similar horror story to AJ and his family, or maybe you suffer from a rare case of Christmas tree dermatitis and the holiday season makes you a little rashy—or you just like a dull Christmas…
The characteristics of a real Christmas tree are unmatched by a fake tree. You might as well throw some ornaments on a cactus if you think a fake tree can do the job.
A Christmas tree is not only the centerpiece of the holiday, but it is an entire experience. The act of going to the Christmas tree farm to find the perfect tree is an integral part of the holiday season.
If I still haven’t convinced you, think about our good friend Mother Nature and all of the harm you are causing her with your plastic tree.
Roughly 10 million artificial trees are purchased in the United States every year. About 90% of those are shipped from factories in China—the long journey pumps an increasing amount of carbon emissions and resources into the atmosphere.
Shame on you!
Through buying a natural tree from Christmas tree farms and providing funds to keep them in business you can support forest growth. They will have the power to keep their land filled with miles of luscious trees and create environments for animals to thrive.
So next time you purchase a faulty piece of plastic, think about all the good and noble work you could do for our environment if you purchased a biodegradable Douglas fir.
A Bath & Body Works Christmas tree scented candle will never measure to the aroma of a real pine.
Happy Holidays to those who get it. It isn’t Christmas without a living, bark-coated, healthy tree. Make sure to keep the fake ones in the attic this year and celebrate Christmas the right way.
The views expressed in this opinion are solely those of the author and don’t necessarily represent the views of The Jesuit Chronicle, www.jesuitnews.com, @jesuithsmedia, or Jesuit High School.
